Borrowed Time
by hashiba42
Summary: With the sudden return of Anubis, the Ronins are awaiting an explanation.
1. Chapter 1

_I've wasted so much time…_

The wind was fair and wild as the weather, odd as it was to find things that way here. It seemed as though it had been forever since he'd last set foot on this soil. On any soil.

He looked out and saw a small red bridge over the golden water of this world. Despite the memories it held for him, he did not show any sign of regret. He did not really feel regret any more, except for all the years he could have spent doing something else. Something better.

The breeze died for a moment, letting his long hair fall loosely about his shoulders. His vision turned upwards, observing the oddly shaded sky, and its lack of life. He'd grown accustomed to the birds of the Mortal Realm in his brief stay there. He'd grown accustomed to life.

And then of course, he'd died. An amused smile touched the corners of his lips at the irony.

Finally, his eyes returned to the earth behind him, and the former glory of a city that lay there. The castle that had held the being who reigned over the Nether Realm, Emperor of the Youjakai. It still bore the signs of battle, gaping holes testifying to the power unleashed. This battle that, though he'd missed for want of life, he had turned the tide in.

This key turning point stood back against a crumbled wall of the castle that she too had once called home, along with three other familiar faces.

They bore expressions he could not recall ever seeing on them. He took a tentative step towards them, secretly delighting in the crunch of the sandy gravel beneath his foot. A sensation he had taken for granted, now suddenly so meaningful, relevant.

The huddled group of beings he'd never known to be jovial, much less emotional, suddenly broke and ran to him, throwing themselves into a pile around him and all but sobbing.

For a moment, he felt incredibly awkward, unsure of how to react to such treatment from those he'd been fighting the last time he'd seen them.

"We were wrong to doubt you, Anubis. If we had listened to you, you would not have…" Dais' eye turned downwards, ashamed.

"We did not realize until it was too late." Sekhmet stood back from the group, but met his comrade's gaze. Anubis noticed his eyes were less reptilian than before, and bore a look of deep regret.

Kale too took a step back, and gave the newly revived warrior a fierce nod of approval.

One was not so shy about being glad to see him, and still clung tightly to his waist, crying.

"What is the matter?"

"I will never be able to repay you." She looked up at him, eyes red from so many tears. "I could live for a thousand years, and still never be able to--"

"I did my duty," he told her calmly, pulling her back at arm's length and looking her in the eye. "And it all worked out in the end."

She nodded somewhat numbly, but attempted a feeble smile and a swipe at her cheek before turning and facing the other three. "Now, what say we go and pay a visit to our friends?"

……………………………………………….

"Lunch time, everyone!"

Mia finished putting the sandwiches on the platter and carried them out to the table. Yuli followed with a pile of napkins, and both took their seats just in time to avoid the trampling from Kento's mad dash to the meal.

The other boys showed up shortly and took their places, making sure to take everything they wanted now, for there would be no leftovers after Kento had his turn. Mia smiled to herself; the boys still hadn't changed much, even after their battle that had decided the fate of the world.

She didn't understand how they could do it-- fighting so hard, against such a great evil. Even if she'd had an armor, she wasn't sure she'd have been able to do what they had. Her job as hostess and part-time chauffeur had been dangerous enough, especially once they had found the Jewel of Life.

She looked down at her plate sadly, a sudden memory flooding her eyes with tears. They had been with Anubis then, he had helped them find it, and had protected them through their journey in the Nether Realm to find the Ronins. He had been a hard casualty for everyone to take.

She picked up her sandwich absent-mindedly and nibbled at it. While she had missed her grandfather terribly and taken his death hard, no one else had mourned the loss. Ryo had apologized for not being able to save him, and the others had offered their sympathies later when they learned of it, but Anubis had been at least a comrade in arms to everyone else. And, she rationalized, after her grandfather's death, she had been on the run, busily trying to help the Ronins. After Anubis's death, they had defeated Talpa. It was a time for celebration, yet everyone tasted a little bit of the bittersweetness in the victory.

It still had not been that long since he'd sacrificed himself to free Kayura, and she found herself fighting off tears at odd moments when something would randomly trigger a memory of some time they'd shared while he was in the Mortal Realm, or while they were in the Nether Realm.

"Mia?"

"Hmm?"

"You alright?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry Ryo. I was just thinking…" She looked around the table at them; they obviously were curious for an explanation. Her face reddened a bit, realizing she must really have been spacing out. "I was wondering if we could all, maybe, sometime go and build a grave for Anubis." She looked down at her hands, twirling her poor napkin nervously. "He did so much for us, and we never even gave him a proper funeral."

The room grew awkwardly silent as everyone else suddenly found their hands fascinating too.

"That sounds like an excellent idea," Sage finally spoke up. "Perhaps we can get a hold of the Warlords and Kayura as well."

"And why would you need to talk to us?" Kayura's voice made several of the Ronins jump in surprise. They turned to see that the people in question were indeed standing on the upper level of the house, looking down at them with smirks.

"We were wondering," Mia spoke softly, "if you would like to join us in having a sort of… memorial service for Anubis."

A laugh came from behind the Warlords. "Well, I thank you for the thought, but I really don't think it will be necessary." The Ronins eyes went wide as a familiar redhead stepped out from behind his companions and smiled down at them.

"ANUBIS!" Yuli tore up the stairs and flung himself onto the former-Warlord's leg, beaming up at him through eyes brimming with tears of joy. "I can't believe it! Are you really alive again! How did that happen? Why didn't you come back sooner? How come--"

"We will explain everything," Kayura promised, gently prying Yuli off Anubis's leg. "Let's go downstairs and get comfortable. It is a long story." She took the boy's hand and led him down the stairs, the Warlords following behind. The Ronins had long since abandoned their meal, and made their way to the living room as well, still dumbstruck.

……………………………………………….

Mia sat in her chair, thinking that she should get up and follow, but her legs numbly refused to acknowledge their calling. She stared down at them, willing them to move. It seemed as though she had been looking for hours when the sound of a throat clearing brought her back to her senses. Her head jerked up, eyes searching for the source of the noise that had startled her out of her state of shock.

He stood in the doorway, that serene, patient expression she'd grown to know from him in their travels through the Nether Realm gently lighting his face. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards, just barely noticeably, and she couldn't help but offer a small smile of her own. Suddenly finding her ability to walk again, Mia rose and walked towards the room where the others waited. Anubis held the door open for her and followed as well, taking a standing position in the corner, again reminding her of the old days that still hadn't really aged.

Kayura nodded to him, and he returned the gesture, signaling she was free to begin. He tried to seem indifferent, though in being honest with himself, he knew he probably was showing more of the turmoil he was feeling than he'd like.

He was horribly curious as to what Kayura had to say about everything that had transpired since his death. He hadn't been filled in on much by the Warlords before they'd left the Nether Realm. Looking around, he could see the Ronins had changed since he'd last seen them; probably at least partially due to their final battle with Talpa. Not much was different physically, but their manner, the way they carried themselves had shifted, become more confident and assured. He had noticed a similar change in his former comrades as well, though it had been hard to see initially when they were charging towards him in barely suppressed glee.

Kayura too, had changed, though probably the most drastically. She had gone from being completely controlled by Talpa's will to something he assumed was much more like a normal girl her age. Something incredibly emotional, compared to what he had gotten used to the last several hundred years.

The boy Yuli seemed slightly more mature as well, though he was still young. When he grew up, Anubis had no doubt this whole affair would definitely have an impact on his personality.

Kayura began her explanation, and the others, even the Warlords, leaned in like school children.

"Well, you see, while in the Dynasty…"

……………………………………………….

It was day again in the Nether Realm.

Dais was inspecting and attempting what repairs he could on the structural damage of the battle on the looming castle. He'd been the obvious choice, and had even volunteered, because, as he'd pointed out, he was far more capable of getting to hard to reach or high up places, and could slip or swing away should he need to.

Sekhmet was reapplying paint with a modified version of his Snake Fang Strike. He had mixed the paint himself, using similar techniques as in the past when creating things like the Red Torrent. It was a perfect match too, he'd boasted, and the others had agreed.

Kale, with his clawed arm guards, was doing what he grumbled was women's work; gardening. More specifically, it was like a small field, a fact which Kayura had tried to comfort him with, explaining that it took a lot of strength for a man to till a field the old fashioned way. Unfortunately, she'd killed it by handing him an ox bow. Unable to take the mooing taunts already wafting from the others, he'd opted to use his own sure kill to make rows.

Kayura had been self-appointed supervisor, though not because she didn't want to work. She just didn't trust the boys to be as productive without some motivation. In return for a general lack of physical labor, she was also the meal provider for this little expedition, and was currently finishing up the rice over a nicely going fire. After another quick peek, she sat back on her haunches and looked out over the calm waters of the lake.

Her eyes took in the golden sky, sparkling above them. It was odd to think that after having been under said sky for so many years and not given it a thought, it now seemed foreign. She had enjoyed their brief trip to the Mortal Realm, which had felt more like home in the few moments she was there than the Dynasty had in centuries.

But they'd all been agreed; there was work to be done in the Nether Realm, and they were no longer a part of what the Mortal Realm was. The deal with Talpa had seemingly taken away some of their humanity, and they felt horribly out of place now in either world.

"I think the rice is done," a deep, rough voice purred behind her, causing her head to jerk around.

Kale stood over the pot with the lid in his grimy hand, sniffing at its contents. With a self-satisfied nod, he grabbed the handle and deftly hoisted it off of the fire like it weighed nothing. She scowled at that, and he laughed.

"Why don't you get out the bowls, I'm sure the other two will be here in a moment."

She nodded to him and walked over to the bowls, sticking her tongue out over he shoulder at him.

Within a few moments, Dais and Sekhmet had indeed shown up, and the four of them ate their meals in companionable silence.

"Ah," Sekhmet sighed, holding out his bowl for more. Kayura shook her head in amusement but refilled it. "Thank you." He nodded at her. "Such an odd picnic to behold."

"Oh?" Dais visible eyebrow raised, chopstick tips resting thoughtfully on his lower lip.

"But of course. We have here three men, and one woman, in feudal armor. They are eating rice and drinking tea from a land made of spirits, sitting beside a bridge over water reflecting a golden sky at midday. Certainly not your average picnic, I would say."

"As normal as you'll get here," Kale waved a hand around them dismissively.

Suddenly, a bit of rice found his nose. His eyes narrowed, scanning those around him. Kayura was trying much too hard not to be seen, hiding her face behind her hair. He grinned, flicking a larger lump into her bangs.

"That's no way to treat a lady," Sekhmet chided jokingly as he scooped a handful out of the pot.

"Ha!" Dais scoffed, though whatever he'd planned to say about Kayura being a lady was cut short by a nicely packed rice ball to the face.

"Oh, that's it!" With a growl, he was up and chasing the green-haired Warlord along the bank. Sekhmet was obviously enjoying his slight advantage in stride, as Dais was already losing ground, his armor clanking heavily.

"I'll get 'im for 'ya!" Kale expertly hurled a rice ball into the shoulder guard of Dais' fleeing prey. Sekhmet dodged the next two expertly, however, and gave a whoop.

Meanwhile, Kayura had taken matters, and the teapot, into her own hands.

GOOOOOOOSH!

"You little b-"

Kayura had taken off already though, and Kale spotted her already several yards away on the edge of the bridge. "Guys, help me take her down?" he called mischievously over his shoulder. In response, they trotted to his side.

"Oh, come now boys. Three against one? That's hardly fair," she sang, skipping back a few more steps. "Maybe we could call the Ronins to help you."

"Trying to buy yourself some time?" Kale teased.

"Hardly," she laughed, though they all noted she had taken several more steps in the opposite direction as they slowed plodded forward. Soon, she was at the top of the bridge, and they were at the base, eyeing her warily. Kale gave a nod, and the other two became blurs, with Dais reappearing at the other end, and Sekhmet beside her.

She leapt expertly to the side, catching the railing with one hand and spinning on it so that she was now facing her snake-eyed opponent. She grinned and launched herself over his head, expecting to land neatly on the other side behind him.

He'd anticipated that move though, and expertly caught her ankle as she soared overhead. Surprised, she lashed out with her other foot and caught him in the side of the head. Ankle free, but trajectory hopelessly off, she braced herself for the impact against the railing.

Her shoulders hit against the corner painfully, though not as badly as it would have been without the armor, and she uncurled, her weight carrying her up and over into the water.

The three ran to the side of the bridge to make sure she was alright, and all stopped silently in their tracks.

The silence lasted a moment or two; even the breeze didn't speak up until finally Sekhmet did.

"This is where it happened, isn't it?"

The other two nodded solemnly, all eyes gazing on the small smooth stone peeking out of the water that lapped noisily against it and the haunting image of Oni armor floating limply in the water below the bridge.

**Quick Notes**

I do realize that when Anubis dies, he's not actually wearing the armor. It hasn't been _that_ long since I watched. It's more just the whole combination of things: they're where he died, Kayura's wearing the armor, body floating in the water (though she's not dead), etc. And don't worry, she's not going to be left there unconscious either, they're just in a state of shock.


	2. Chapter 2

As the Warlords stood dumbfounded against the crimson railing, Kayura bobbed on the water, despite the heavy armor.

She was aware of where she was, but she couldn't open her eyes or move her arms. A panic began building inside of her and she wanted to scream. The air in her lungs began to burn, and then suddenly, cooled. She felt as though she were no longer in the water, but standing upright, and there was a warm breeze coming from somewhere behind her.

"You may open your eyes."

Her eyes flew open in shock. That voice, one she had never had the chance to know yet somehow seemed as though she'd heard all her life…

"Ancient…" Her incorporeal form fell to its knees before his, though what brought such a reaction was beyond her reasoning.

To her surprise, he knelt beside her. Still frozen in fear, though of what she was not sure, she could not bring herself to meet his gaze.

As if sensing her unease, he cast his eyes forward and settled down onto the… ground, if one called a shapeless surface such, and folded his hands in his lap as if meditating.

Taking his lead, she sat as well and tried to calm the boiling emotions inside.

The warm breeze she'd first felt continued to dance around them, coming from and going nowhere, but bringing with it a sweet smell she couldn't quite place.

After an indeterminate amount of time in this relative silence, she found her voice at last. "Ancient, what advice have you for me? Surely you are here because there is a path I must follow, or some task that I must perform."

He glanced out from under the side of his hat, but she was again looking elsewhere. He smiled to himself.

"Indeed, Kayura. You are the last of the Ancient clan, and the duties thereof will someday burden your shoulders." His voice was solemn, and, she thought, almost a little sad as he said it. "And, indeed, there is also a task I wish you to perform."

He stood now, bringing his hands behind his back as he continued to speak. "I have fought evil for a very long time. And in that time, I have been forced to watch as many that I have involved in this war have suffered or perished. I dearly wish that I was able to go back, to undo their involvement, to give them normal lives and normal worries." He sighed and turned towards her, the brim of his hat hanging low over his face as though in shame. "But even if I could, it would doom all those after. You see, I could not have done everything I did without them. All the centuries of fighting, I could not have held it all back on my own. It was in desperation I turned to these people, these warriors, for help when the tide turned against me."

Kayura now rose and walked to his side. "There was nothing you could have done then, Ancient, " she whispered, voice wavering. She knew at least part of the reason he was telling her this was to brace her for what lay ahead in her own destiny. The role he had played was one that had faced many difficult choices; who to send to suffer in order to save so many more from much worse…

"There was one, though, who took on two roles for me," he continued, head suddenly lifting and staring out into the abyss around them as if searching. "He was a warrior, once awakened to his nature, and then also a substitute for me, a pawn when I could no longer realize my will physically."

Her head hung at these words, understanding of whom they now spoke. Guilt welled up in her chest, nearly choking her, and she looked off in the other direction.

"It is my fault he's dead," she croaked, "not yours."

"Oh, now come my little one," the Ancient said softly, seeing the tears welling up in her eyes. "This is why I am speaking to you now."

Her eyes, shining with moisture, narrowed just barely in skepticism, which immediately disappeared when she once again realized whom she was speaking to.

"I believe there may be a… loophole, if you will pardon the use of newer terminology, in his death."

Though she did not quite understand the wording, his meaning still rang through clear. Her eyes grew huge as the unearthly form continued.

"You see, Anubis died when he did because his body could no longer hold his soul with anything less than the power of the armor."

She looked guiltily down at her arms, clad in Oni steel.

"When he passed it to you in order to regain control over your soul, his was left unchained. With his body in such a severely weakened state, it could not hold it and his soul simply left.

"In the Mortal World, that would have been the end. His soul would have gone off to where ever it was supposed to." The Ancient's voice was growing almost childishly excited now, and Kayura found herself leaning in further to hear the rest. "But he died in the Nether Realm. Souls don't leave there."

He watched as the realization of what he'd said struck her. She turned to face him suddenly, eyes lit like the sun itself. He met her gaze, and suddenly, she wasn't afraid of it at all. Those eyes, very familiar… Such a bright blue…

……………………………………………….

With a gasp, Kayura sat up in the shallow water.

Worried, Dais and Sekhmet scrabbled down the bank to her side, while Kale forewent the trouble and just leapt over the railing itself.

"Are you alright, Kayura?" Sekhmet's deep voice seemed odd to hear with a note of concern in it.

"Anubis," she managed to pant, gulping down air like she hadn't had any in hours.

The Warlords exchanged worried glances over her, as though afraid she'd hit her head harder than they thought after all.

"The Ancient," she continued, drinking in the oxygen, "said he's not gone. We can still…" Her voice trailed off, as she realized she wasn't entirely sure how to end that. _They could still_ what_? See him? _Save_ him?_

Sill unsure of Kayura's condition, the Warlords each gave a nod and proceeded to help her up out of the water.

"I think it best if we call it a day," Sekhmet suggested solemnly. "We could all use some rest."

Dais grunted in agreement, planting his feet on the bank and offering a hand to Kayura to help her up to Kale, who was already at the top.

"You should go dry off," he commented gruffly as she reached him. "We'll clean up out here."

Slightly miffed at their reaction, Kayura paused to argue, but seeing the looks they wore, decided it better to just go along for the time being. It _had_ been a long day, she _wa_s soaking wet, and besides, she could probably use the time to sort out all that happened in that apparently instantaneous forever she had spent in the presence of the Ancient.

……………………………………………….

A lull had fallen over the Warlords after they had seen Kayura to her room. Wordlessly they had returned to retrieve the leftovers of their lunch and placed them in the kitchen, where Sekhmet had stayed behind to wash them and make sure they were put away. He was, after all, the only one who understood Kayura's bizarre storage methods.

Later in the afternoon, Dais made his way to the kitchen in thoughts of seeing what might be done about dinner, only to find Kale already eyeing their few choices. They had exchanged glances and set about preparation, the small clangs and scrapes the only noise to be heard.

Kayura bumped into Sekhmet on her way down to see what they'd all been up to all afternoon.

"Dinner is ready," he informed her, and she followed him to where the others were.

This meal was an entirely different affair than lunch had been, and though Kayura sorely missed the atmosphere, she was unsure of how to clear the air of what had happened earlier.

Finally, the silence was too much, and she cleared her throat. The Warlords looked up from the food, their faces mixes of apprehension, discomfort, and, she thought, an infinitesimal amount of curiosity.

"When I was in the water, unconscious," she began, and then hesitated, realizing how ridiculous the next part might sound, "I saw the Ancient." Her eyes rose to meet theirs and gauge their reactions. They were impossible to read.

"And what did he have to say?" Kale looked down at his all but empty bowl, nudging a lone noodle with his chopsticks. They all knew it had something to do with their fallen comrade, but that was still a sensitive subject amongst them, and they did not often bring it up. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed both Dais and Sekhmet staring intently into their bowls as well, as though wishing to be rescued by the remaining rice grains.

Kayura paused, judging what might be the best way to present the information. Eventually, she spoke.

"When one dies in the Mortal Realm, where does his spirit pass to?"

"The afterlife," Dais answered matter-of-factly.

"So where does the spirit go when one dies in the Nether Realm?" she asked, watching as each of their heads slowly rose and at least a partial realization of what she was getting at sunk in.

"But why would that…" Sekhmet trailed off, and then answered his own question. "Mortals do not die here! It doesn't happen! Yet when it did, his spirit had nowhere to go, as it was already _in_ a land of spirits!"

"Exactly," Kayura nodded.

"So what does this mean?" Dais said flatly. "What can we do about it? His body is gone. And I doubt there are instructions lying around for resurrecting dead humans."

Though her heart sank slightly at his words, Kayura turned to face him with an irritated expression.

"Don't be so pessimistic!" she snapped. "We might be able to think of with something if we work together." Even to her, the words were starting to sound desperate, but she continued. "And the Ancient was the one who came up with the idea. Would not _he_ know better than any of us what is possible from beyond the grave?"

"Well then why don't you ask him for some pointers on how we should go about this miracle?" Dais bit out angrily. The other two Warlords looked at him in surprise, and he suddenly found himself wishing he were anywhere else.

"That was cruel," Sekhmet said softly, shooting him a glare before rising and moving over to where Kayura now stood, her back pointedly facing the man she was calling a jerk under her breath.

Dais felt Kale's eyes on him as well, and averted his gaze to the wall. He hadn't actually meant to burst out like that, but for the moment his pride would not let him admit such. After all, he reasoned, he was making a valid point.

A long silence stretched, and eventually Kayura's voice came softly to his ears from the other side of the room. "Would it hurt to try?"

* * *

ZOMG. Ok, so maybe it has been just this side of forever since I updated this. Or anything. Sorry?


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